Snowden's Actions: Lawbreaker Or Whistleblower?

Edward Snowden is a former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower who, in 2013, leaked classified documents revealing the existence of global surveillance programs. Snowden's actions sparked a cultural discussion about national security and individual privacy.

Snowden's disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the NSA and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, in cooperation with telecommunication companies and European governments.

While Snowden's actions have been praised by some, he currently faces US criminal charges for violating the Espionage Act and theft of government property.

Did Snowden break the law by taking documents?

Edward Snowden is an American-Russian former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower who, in 2013, leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA). He was indicted for espionage and theft of government property, and charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917.

Snowden's actions sparked intense debate. Many legal experts and the U.S. government argue that he broke the law, and he currently faces U.S. criminal charges. However, others defend his actions as ethical, claiming that he acted for the public good and exposing government wrongdoing.

Snowden himself has defended his actions, stating that he had a moral obligation and a duty to inform the public. He has also distinguished between leaking and whistleblowing, explaining that leaking is releasing information for personal gain, while whistleblowing is done for the benefit of the public.

While Snowden's actions may have broken the law, the question of whether he should be considered a criminal or a hero remains a subject of debate. His actions revealed the existence of global surveillance programs and prompted discussions about national security and individual privacy.

In terms of the specific question of whether Snowden broke the law by taking documents, the answer is yes. By taking and sharing classified documents, Snowden violated the Espionage Act of 1917, which identifies the leak of state secrets as an act of treason. This led to him being charged and facing legal consequences. However, Snowden's actions also brought attention to the lack of whistleblower protection for employees and contractors of national security agencies, which may have influenced his decision to disclose information to the press.

Did Snowden break the law by leaking documents to journalists?

Edward Snowden is a former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower who, in 2013, leaked classified documents revealing the existence of global surveillance programs. He was subsequently charged with espionage by the US government and fled the country.

Snowden's actions have been the subject of much debate, with some arguing that he broke the law and should be prosecuted, while others claim that he was ethically justified in his "whistleblowing" and that the law he broke was unjust and unconstitutional.

However, Snowden has defended his actions as an effort to inform the public about what was being done in their name and against them. He has argued that the government's violation of privacy had to be exposed, regardless of legality. Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project has defended Snowden's actions as ethical, claiming that he acted for the public good.

In addition, at the time of Snowden's disclosures, US law provided little to no whistleblower protection for employees and contractors of national security agencies. Presidential Policy Directive 19 (PPD-19), signed by President Obama in late 2012, created administrative procedures to protect whistleblowers working for US intelligence agencies. However, this directive failed to provide adequate protection, as it did not include national security contractors like Snowden and did not create any real legal protections.

In summary, while Snowden technically broke the law by leaking documents to journalists, the ethical and legal debate surrounding his actions remains divided. Supporters claim he is a hero, while detractors criticise him as un-American. Snowden himself is confident about the positive impact of his disclosures, believing that his revelations sparked necessary debates about national security and individual privacy.

Was Snowden's leaking of documents ethically justifiable?

Edward Snowden's leaking of confidential government documents has been a highly controversial topic, with some viewing him as a traitor and others as a hero. While Snowden did break the law, he has argued that his actions were ethically justifiable as he had a moral obligation to act in the public's interest.

Snowden has defended his actions as whistleblowing, stating that he had a duty to inform the public about the government's violation of their privacy. He has claimed that he tried to raise ethical concerns through internal channels but was ignored, and that there was no proper whistleblower protection for government contractors. Snowden's actions sparked a cultural discussion about national security and individual privacy, with many agreeing that his revelations were in the public interest. Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project has defended Snowden's actions as ethical, arguing that he acted for the public good.

However, others have disagreed with this view. The Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, stated that Snowden broke the law and caused harm to national security. Some journalists have also been conflicted about the ethical implications, with some arguing that Snowden should be prosecuted for his actions, while others believe he did his country a great service.

The debate surrounding Snowden's actions is complex and multifaceted. On the one hand, he broke the law and potentially endangered national security. On the other hand, his actions brought to light important issues regarding privacy and government surveillance. Ultimately, the ethical justifiability of Snowden's actions is a matter of individual perspective and values.

Did Snowden break the law by taking documents out of the NSA?

Edward Snowden, a former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower, leaked highly classified documents in 2013, revealing the existence of global surveillance programs. He was subsequently indicted for espionage and fled the country.

Snowden's actions did break the law. According to legal experts and the US government, Snowden's release of confidential government documents violated the Espionage Act of 1917, which identifies the leak of state secrets as an act of treason. He was charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act and theft of government property. Snowden himself acknowledges that he broke the law, stating that he had to in order to expose the government's domestic eavesdropping operation.

However, Snowden argues that he had a moral obligation to act and that he had a duty to inform the public of the government's violation of privacy. He has described himself as a whistleblower, a term used by many sources, and believes that leaking and whistleblowing are different. Leaking, he says, is releasing information for personal gain, whereas whistleblowing is releasing information for the public good. He also believes that the Espionage Act is unconstitutional and vague, and that there was no other way to expose the NSA's activities.

The debate around Snowden's actions is ongoing. Many agree with Snowden, defending his actions as ethical and arguing that he acted for the public good. However, others, including the US Attorney General, disagree, stating that Snowden broke the law and caused harm to national security.

Did Snowden break the law by using intelligence technology for unofficial purposes?

Edward Snowden is a former NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower who, in 2013, leaked highly classified information revealing the existence of global surveillance programs. Snowden's disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the NSA and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, in cooperation with telecommunication companies and European governments.

Snowden was indicted for espionage and theft of government property. He was charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and one count of theft of government property. Each of the three charges carries a maximum possible prison term of ten years.

While Snowden did break the law, he argued that he had a moral obligation to act. He justified his "whistleblowing" by stating that he had a duty to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them. Snowden's actions have been defended as ethical, with the claim that he acted from a sense of public good.

In 2020, an appeals court found that the NSA's warrantless telephone dragnet that secretly collected millions of Americans' telephone records violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and may have been unconstitutional. Snowden's actions revealed that the NSA was harvesting millions of email and instant messaging contact lists, tracking and mapping the location of cell phones, and undermining attempts at encryption.

Snowden's use of intelligence technology for unofficial purposes, specifically for whistleblowing, is technically illegal. However, the law does not differentiate between leaking and whistleblowing, and Snowden's actions have been defended as ethical and justified.

Frequently asked questions